BUSINESS ARE UPSET ABOUT JUST HOW LONG ITS TAKING FOR STREETCAR MAINTENANCE UPTOWN--TO BE COMPLETED. WDSU NEWS REPORTER BLAKE HANSON IS LIVE THIS MORNING UPTOWN WITH MORE ON WHY THE BUSINESS OWNERS ARE COMPLAINING. GOOD MORNING BLAKE. GOOD MORNING. IT'S NOT UNCOMMON FOR BUSINESS OWNERS TO BE UPSET WHEN ROUTINE CONSTRUCTION MAKES IT MORE DIFFICULT TO DRAW CUSTOMERS THEIR WAY. BUT RIVERBEND BUSINESS OWNERS TELLS US THE CONSTRUCTION OUT HERE HAS GONE ON TOO LONG...AND THEY WANT R-T-A TO SPEED UP THE PROCESS. THIS IS PART OF A MAINTENANCE PROJECT THAT BEGAN TWO YEARS AGO. IT WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO TAKE TWELVE MONTHS TO COMPLETE AT THE TIME. BUT NOW BUSINESS OWNERS HAVE LEARNED THE WORK WON'T BE DONE UNTIL LATE NEXT YEAR. AN R-T-A SPOKESPERSON TELLS US THIS IS A REQUIRED MAINTENANCE PROJECT THAT HAS TO BE DONE EVERY 25-30 YEARS. AND IT HAS BEEN MEETING WITH SOME OF THE BUSINESSES TO TRY TO MINIMIZE LOSSES. THE R-T-A PROVIDES BUS SERVICE FOR FOLKS RIGHT NOW IN BETWEEN POINTS WHERE THE CAR IS SHUTDOWN... BUT RIVERBEND BUSINESSES SAY ITS STILL A MESS. oh it's been horrible because nobody comes to one business they don't come to me they don't come to o'henrys they come to a neighborhood THE BUSINESS OWNER YOU HEARD THERE TOLD US THEY'VE LOST ABOUT 15-20 PERCENT OF THEIR BUSINESS OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS. A LOT OF THESE BUSINESS OWNERS WANT TO SEE IF WORK CAN BE SPED UP...AND WANT CREWS TO WORK THROUGH THE NIGHT TO COMPLETE THE WORK. SULA? BLAKE CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT SOME OF THE OTHER PROJECTS THE R-T-A IS WORKING ON AROUND NEW ORLEANS? THEY HAVE SEVERAL PROJECTS THEY'RE WORKING ON ACROSS THE CITY... THERE'S A PLAN TO EXTEND A STREETCAR LINE THROUGH THE FRENCH QUARTER, STARTING AT CANAL AND RUNNING TO ELYSIAN FIELDS. GROUND WILL BE BROKEN ON THAT IN 2014. 100 BRAND-NEW BUS SHELTERS WILL BE INSTALLED IN THE COMING YEARS.. AND ALL BUS STOP SIGNS ACROSS THE CITY ARE BEING REPLACED. SO THEY'RE WORKING ON A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS...BUT CERTAINLY THE ONE CAUSING THE MOST FRUSTRATION RIGHT NOW IS THE WORK ON THE ST. CHARLES STREET CAR LINE... LIVE ON YOUR SIDE UPTOWN BLAKE HANSON, WDSU NEWS. COUNCILWOMAN SUSAN GUIDRY WHO REPRESENTS THE AREA UPTOWN WHERE SOME PEOPLE ARE FRUSTRATED ..SAYS SHE HAS BEEN WORKING WITH BOTH THE RTA AND THE RIVERBEND MERCHANTS TO FIGURE OUT A SOLUTION. THE RTA HAS PROVIDED BUS SERVICE IN THE AREAS WHERE THE STREET CAR IS NOT WORKING.